


The way we play

by honooko



Category: VIXX
Genre: Family Shenanigans, Fluff, Gen, Hijinks & Shenanigans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-17
Updated: 2018-07-17
Packaged: 2019-06-12 00:35:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15327861
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/honooko/pseuds/honooko
Summary: Taekwoon likes to watch the kids play together at home. This is what he means. (These nerds...)





	The way we play

**Author's Note:**

> Honestly this happened because Hongbin keeps enabling Wonshik's Dr. Strange references and also that time they did a parody of a historical drama. I just feel like this kind of ridiculousness has got to be a daily thing with all these DRAMA QUEENS.

“It’s nice to sit at home and watch the children play,” Taekwoon said mildly, Hakyeon nodding in agreement at his side.

“Oh, they play together?” the host said, “How cute.”

~

“Jaehwan-hyung,” Sanghyuk said, taking both of Jaehwan’s hands in his. “I’m so glad we’re spending the rest of our lives together.”

“How _dare_ you,” Hongbin hissed, leaping out of his room. “Get your hands off my hyung, you home wrecker!”

“Binnie!” Jaehwan gasped. “It’s not what it looks like! He’s—”

“Jaehwannie is mine now,” Sanghyuk said, throwing an arm dramatically in front of Jaehwan. “You had your chance!”

“Never!” Hongbin declared. “Jaehwan and I were promised to each other by our parents when I was born! It’s _destiny!_ ”

“Both of you, please!” Jaehwan said, mock-sobbing. “My heart can’t take it! I have love for you both, I’m begging you—”

“Sanghyuk!”

All three turned to the doorway, where Wonshik was standing.

“Wonshik,” Sanghyuk said seriously. “My evil twin.”

“Oh my god!” Jaehwan gasped. “We thought you died in the volcano accident three years ago!”

“You thought wrong,” Wonshik said, grave. “I’ve returned, and I’m here to make my claim: Jaehwan-ah, you belong with me.”

“Well, this is an unexpected turn,” Hakyeon commented mildly, a cup of cherry tomatoes in his hand. Everyone looked at him. “Oh, sorry! Uh—none of you _deserve_ my beautiful daughter, Jaehwan! Release her, you scum!”

“Mother, no!” Jaehwan said, running to Hakyeon and pulling on his arm. “You don’t understand, I love him!”

“No!” Hakyeon declared, throwing a possessive arm around him. “I promised you to Hongbinnie, but he can’t protect you from that _monster!_ ” He gestured wildly at Wonshik.

“You pushed me into that volcano, you bitter old witch, but I climbed my way out, and you’ll rue the day you tried to take Jaehwan-ah from my arms!”

Taekwoon stole a tomato from Hakyeon’s cup, watching with great interest.

~

It started at breakfast. Everyone was more or less awake and eating somewhat quietly for once, focused on getting food into their mouths before the attempted things like conversation, or humanity. Abruptly, Jaehwan straightened.

“SUPER SPEED,” he shouted. Everyone at the table froze mid-motion; Jaehwan leaped to his feet, ran behind Sanghyuk, and pulled his chopsticks from his hand, replacing them with a banana milk straw. He then bolted back to his seat; as soon as he was done, the table unfroze and Sanghyuk looked at his hand in confusion.

“What?” he asked, baffled to the point of absurdity. “Where did my chopsticks go?”

“TELEKENISIS,” Wonshik shouted, pointing at Sanghyuk’s chopsticks and wiggling his fingers. Hongbin reached out to hover them in the air approximately where Wonshik was “moving” them, until they reached Sanghyuk’s hands.

“Guys,” Hakyeon said with a sigh, “It’s not even eight-thirty yet, can’t we just—”

“MUTE POWER,” Hongbin shouted, pointing at Hakyeon.

“Excuse—”

“I said mute power,” Hongbin interrupted. “You’re mute now.” Hakyeon looked about to argue the point, but Taekwoon reached out with one hand and put a finger on Hakyeon’s lips, without looking up from his own food.

“Mute power,” Taekwoon repeated when Hakyeon shot him a look that was a mixture of irritation and betrayal. Taekwoon shrugged at him, uncooperative as usual. Hakyeon narrowed his eyes before a smug smile bloomed on his lips.

“MIND CONTROL,” Hakyeon shouted, “Everyone is super nice to me today because I deserve it.”

“ANTI-MIND CONTROL,” Sanghyuk hollered immediately. “Everyone is unaffected by hyung’s mind control as long as I’m in the room.”

“That’s cheating,” Hakyeon informed him.

“Maybe you should have picked a better power then,” Sanghyuk said, widening his eyes in an effort to look more innocent.

“Fix this,” Hakyeon said flatly to Taekwoon. Taekwoon looked around the table; everyone was looking at him with wide, expectant eyes.

He panicked.

“Invisibility,” he said. Instantly, four pairs of eyes slid off him. Hakyeon continued to look angry and betrayed, and he reached out to pinch Taekwoon in the side, but Jaehwan stood up, shouted, “SUPER SPEED!” again and intercepted. Hakyeon attempted to pinch him too, but Wonshik smacked his hand away.

“Why are you all ganging up on me?!” Hakyeon whined. “What did I ever do to deserve—”

“Mind control,” Sanghyuk cut in. “The ultimate betrayal.”

“Marvel would _never_ ,” Wonshik said solemnly.

“Loki would,” Hongbin pointed out.

“Loki doesn’t count,” Wonshik said.

“I think—”

“MUTE POWER,” Hongbin said again, pointing at Hakyeon again.

“I SWEAR TO GOD, I’M GOING TO—” Hakyeon said, throwing himself across the table as the last of his patience evaporated. Taekwoon grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled him down back into his seat again.

“My invisibility affects whatever I’m touching,” he said firmly, keeping his hand on Hakyeon’s shirt. “You can’t see him anymore.”

“They always pick on me,” Hakyeon complained. “It’s so unfair.”

“Sorry, I can’t hear you,” Taekwoon informed him. “Mute power.”

Hakyeon stole his banana milk directly out of his hand, sipping furiously.

~

Taekwoon shuffled to the bathroom, bumping into Sanghyuk on the way.

“Morning,” he mumbled, barely awake.

“Good morning Noona,” Sanghyuk replied, continuing on his way. It took a full four seconds for Taekwoon to register what he’d heard; he whipped around and grabbed Sanghyuk’s shoulder, pulling as if that had ever worked even once in the past four years.

“What did you just call me?!”

“What?” Sanghyuk said innocently. “I thought we’re supposed to speak more formally?”

“That is _not—_ ” Taekwoon spluttered.

“Oh geez,” Jaehwan sighed, leaning around Sanghyuk. “Noona, don’t get so riled up over little things, you’ll get wrinkles probably.”

“Really, it’s no wonder we have a hard time with respect in this house,” Sanghyuk said with a sigh. “Noona just constantly disregards _our_ feelings.”

“Hasn’t she always been like this though?” Hongbin commented, holding a toothbrush.

“Good point,” Jaehwan said. Taekwoon decided he wasn’t going to just stand there and let them—harass him in his _own home_ , so he whirled around and went to the bathroom where none of these brats would follow him.

Probably.

“Noona,” Wonshik said very seriously from his doorway when he got out of the shower, “I know we’re all very close, but you really shouldn’t go topless around the house, you know?”

Taekwoon threw his towel at Wonshik, who fled before a rain of fists could follow, giggling.

“Whose idea was this?!” Taekwoon snapped. “Sanghyuk?!”

“Okay, first of all, calm down,” Sanghyuk said, putting up his hands defensively. “It’s just a joke.”

“It’s a _stupid_ joke,” Taekwoon informed him.

“Noona, you can walk around topless if you want, this is your house too,” Sanghyuk continued as if he hadn’t spoken. “It’s a little weird, but you do you.”

“HAKYEON,” Taekwoon yelled, stomping to the couch. “MAKE THEM STOP.”

“Stop what?” Hakyeon said, looking up from his book before immediately looking down again when it was obvious Taekwoon was neither bleeding nor crying.

“STOP CALLING ME—”

“Children, please,” Hakyeon said without looking up again. “Don’t get Taekwoon all worked up.”

Taekwoon took a few deep, steadying breaths. 

“She always comes running to her oppa and frankly, I deserve a break now and then,” Hakyeon continued with a slight whine.

“You’re right hyung,” Hongbin said, mock-sheepish. “We’re sorry, we forgot how difficult noona can be when she’s upset.”

“Thank you,” Hakyeon nodded, accepting the apology gracefully. “Taekwoonie, oppa is busy reading right now, why don’t you go get a snack? You sound hangry.”

“I’M MOVING OUT,” Taekwoon informed them, storming to the kitchen. “YOU’LL NEVER SEE ME AGAIN!”

“I just don’t want to see your boobs again,” Wonshik said, shuddering. “Seriously, put a shirt on noona, gosh.”

“Wonshik, no body-shaming please,” Hakyeon commented. “Natural is beautiful too.”

Taekwoon sat down to have the angriest toast of his life.

~

Sanghyuk sighed, covering his face with one hand. Jaehwan leaned against him, patting the top of his head.

“I just… miss him, you know?” Sanghyuk mumbled. Jaehwan nodded.

“I know,” Jaehwan said. “I know you do.”

“This movie—he would have loved this movie,” Sanghyuk said. “It’s just his type, stupid action adventure _fun_ , but—” He stopped, his voice cracking.

“It’s okay,” Hongbin said sympathetically. “Let it out, it’s not healthy to keep it all bottled up.”

“I wish... I wish we could have watched this movie together,” Sanghyuk said, wiping tears from his eyes.

“ _I_ wish we could have just sat on the couch together,” Hongbin said, sounding so sad that Hakyeon put a comforting hand on his knee. “Just—just one more time.”

“He would have been so proud of you,” Jaehwan informed Sanghyuk, patting his head again. “You’ve grown up so well, just like he hoped you would.”

“And you’ve raised his son like your own,” Taekwoon said, offering rare praise. “You could have let Butt be taken in by another family, but you didn’t.”

“I just want to make sure he remembers his dad the way I do,” Sanghyuk said, his head dropping. “I don’t want Butt to forget him. And I wish I could have watched this stupid movie with him.”

“One more movie night,” Hongbin agreed solemnly. “Six of us, instead of—”

“Don’t say it,” Hakyeon gasped suddenly. “Don’t, please—”

“Hakyeon,” Taekwoon said, putting a hand on his back and rubbing gently. “You can cry, you know Wonshik would, if he was here.”

“That’s true,” Hongbin said. “Wonshik used to cry all the time.”

“Buckets and buckets,” Sanghyuk said.

“Like a little baby,” Jaehwan added, sighing.

“Guys,” Wonshik said with intense irritation. “I’m _right here._ ”

“If only we’d known then what we know now,” Sanghyuk said, looking at the ceiling.

“Who could have guessed bisexual lighting is so dangerous?” Jaehwan said. “There’s nothing we could have done to save him.”

“Jiwoonie wears his tags wherever she goes,” Sanghyuk said.

“His… dog tags?” Taekwoon asked, sounding confused.

“No, his sneaker tags,” Sanghyuk clarified. “Tag swag.”

“Ah, yes,” Hakyeon said. “She honors his memory in such meaningful ways.”

“I’m _not dead_ , jerks, I’m _right here_!” Wonshik snapped.

“Whoa, did anybody else just get a chill?” Sanghyuk gasped. “Shit, do you think it’s his spirit?!”

“Wonshik?!” Jaehwan said, looking around the room with wild eyes. “Is that you!?”

“Wonshik, it’s okay!” Hongbin called out. “Follow the light, move on! We’ll be okay, please find peace!”

“I’M NOT DEAD, YOU ASSHOLES!” Wonshik yelled.

“This sounds crazy, but I swear, sometime I can almost _hear_ him, you know?” Hakyeon whispered. “Like—like he’s right here, next to me. It’s nuts, I know, but…”

“I know what you mean,” Sanghyuk said, nodding. “I know exactly what you mean.”

“I GET IT, I’LL COME HOME MORE,” Wonshik declared. “CAN I PLEASE NOT BE DEAD ANYMORE?!”

“Whoa, goosebumps,” Jaehwan said, lifting his arm. “Seriously, we should maybe get a ghost hunter in here, just to be safe.”

“Fuck you guys,” Wonshik said sullenly. “When I’m _actually_ dead, you’ll all be sorry.”

“Sometimes I wish it was all just a joke, and he wasn’t dead, just kind of an inconsiderate roommate,” Sanghyuk commented.

“That would be nice,” Hakyeon said. “If only.”

“Yeah,” Sanghyuk said, sighing. “If only.”

Wonshik slouched down on the couch and mumbled to himself in irritation while Hakyeon reached forward to pet the back of his head. 

“It’s almost like he’s _right here_.”

“STOP IT!”

~

It always started with Taekwoon.

He wasn’t sure why, exactly, he sometimes woke up lonely, but it happened almost more often than nightmares, strangely. Taekwoon never felt quite comfortable enough to climb into someone else’s bed like Jaehwan (yet) so his solution was a bit more about reassuring himself he was surrounded without actually being surrounded. He’d drag his blanket and his pillow into the living room and curl up on the couch, aware of the open doorways around him.

At some point, Jaehwan would turn up, followed by Sanghyuk. Jaehwan liked to take the other edge of the couch, and Sanghyuk was happy enough to take one of the plush cushions on the back and stretch out on the floor. Wonshik would wake up missing his roommate and bring thunderous snoring; being in such a central location, the sound traveled to Hongbin and Hakyeon, bringing them out too.

Usually, at that point, Hakyeon would put his hands on his hips, looking at the collection of blankets, pillows, and half-asleep boys and _sigh._

“Alright,” he’d say. “Let’s play ‘dorm’.”

They pushed the couch back against the wall while Hakyeon and Jaehwan collected the thin mattress-like pads they used to sleep on, laying them out on the cleared space in the same order they’d been in for years; Hongbin would follow, distributing pillows and blankets as he went. Then they’d all tuck in, curling around each other or stretching out next to each other, a comfortable sleepiness tugging at them that only really happened when they were sleeping _together_ , like they had for years.

Sometimes it was nice to pretend they still lived like that, all wrapped up in each other and so close it wasn’t entirely clear where one ended and the next began.

“Goodnight children,” Hakyeon said before yawning. The kids and Taekwoon mumbled their own goodnights, dropping off faster than any of them really ever managed on their own.

‘Dorm’ was, honestly, Taekwoon’s favorite game to play with the kids.


End file.
